


The Cold Within

by waveryder



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: M/M, Metahuman Leonard Snart, Post Oculus Leonard Snart, Ray cares and wants to help
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-20
Updated: 2017-07-20
Packaged: 2018-12-04 19:05:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11561436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/waveryder/pseuds/waveryder
Summary: He didn’t expect to be brought back to life, and he certainly didn’t expect to be brought back with powers. Powers he can’t control. Powers that felt more like a curse than a gift.





	The Cold Within

Leonard sits on the floor of the cargo bay, legs stretched out in front of him, back against one of the many crates, staring at the cold white glow emanating from his hand. His fingertips are dark and dusty as if plagued with frostbite. Leonard would laugh if he didn’t feel so miserable.

 

He didn’t expect to be brought back to life, and he certainly didn’t expect to be brought back with powers. Powers he can’t control. Powers that felt more like a curse than a gift.

 

He managed to turn the med bay into a walk-in freezer when the team brought him aboard. No control over the ice that shot from his palms, or the frigid air leaving his body. Luckily he didn’t turn anyone in the room into a meat popsicle. Luckily the sedative that knocked Leonard out also stopped his powers from creating any further damage.

 

That wasn’t even the worst of it. He realized that his emotions were a factor in how his powers manifested, so frustration was what formed icicles on the bridge when Sara made it clear that Leonard could not go out on missions until he learned to control his powers. Anger was what made his room uninhabitable when he threw objects around, unintentionally freezing every inch of his quarters. And misery, well, misery was the chill that seeped through his clothes and filled the air.

 

Oh yeah, and almost everything he touched was immediately encased in ice, or froze and shattered. This made interpersonal relationships even harder for Leonard. He doesn’t want to think about what would happen if he came into contact with Lisa, or Mick. Or Raymond.

 

Raymond, who seemed to be the only one who wasn’t completely wary of Leonard and his uncontrollable ice powers. Always seeking Leonard out, accompanying him to the galley for meals, sitting next to him during time jumps, even offering to help him control his powers, to which Leonard would scoff. There was no helping him.

 

So, he hides himself away. He spends a lot of his time in secluded areas of the ship, forgotten rooms filled with useless crates and junk.

 

He stares at the cold surrounding his hand and the longer he stares, the colder he feels. Frost starts to form under him and around him, crawling across the floor and over the crates. A thin layer of ice climbs up the walls like ivy, and Leonard is cold all over. The light around his hand grows and he can feel something inside him crack.

 

The growl that rips from his throat is primal and raw, as he shoots his hand in front of him, blasting a crate and it instantly shatters. He clambers to his feet and does it again, ice crystals flying from his palm, embedding themselves into another crate. He fires once more, but the blast backfires and there’s a shooting pain up his arm.

 

“ _Fuck_!” he gasps, grabbing his arm.

 

It’s not as bad as when he froze his hand off, but it stings. He shakes it off and aims again, but he drops his arm and sags back down onto the floor. The ice begins to melt, moisture dripping from the walls and crates. He sits there, in a puddle of water, pressed back against the crate, when he hears someone clear their throat.

 

Leonard’s twists and sees Raymond standing at the bottom of the steps, hands shoved in his pockets.

 

“Well, if we ever want to build a skating rink, we know who to ask,” Ray says with a small smile. The joke falls flat and Leonard scowls at him. “I’m sorry, that was inappropriate.”

 

“What do you want, Raymond?” Leonard asks dropping his head back to rest against the crate.

 

“Was looking for you,” Raymond answers. “Jax said he saw you come this way.”

 

“Doesn’t answer my question,” Leonard says. “What do you want?”

 

Ray walks further into the room, careful not to slip on the wet ground.

 

“I want…” Ray starts. He lets out a breath and he sits on the crate Leonard is leaning against. “I want to help you, Leonard.”

 

Leonard laughs, humorless and empty.

 

“For the last time, Raymond,” Leonard sighs, and lowers his voice, “no one can help me.”

 

“That’s not true. You can learn to control your powers, if you’d just let me help -”

 

“And how are _you_ going to help _me_?” Leonard snaps. “You got powers I’m unaware of? Any experience training metahumans, or whatever it is I am? Do us both a favor, and stop trying.”

 

“Someone has to,” Ray says, defiant and strong. “Someone here has to try, because you certainly aren’t.”

 

Leonard gets back up on his feet and faces Ray.

 

“I am _trying_ to keep these powers under wraps,” Leonard growls, “so when I walk into a room I don’t turn it into a goddamn ice box, or shatter anything just by touching it.” Leonard voice rises with every word. “So when I eventually see my sister again, I don’t freeze her to death!”

 

He can feel that chill, that cold pushing through his bones and flesh, cooling the air. It gives Ray goosebumps, and he can hear the crackling of ice forming on every surface, it even begins to form on his pants. Ray jumps off the crate, brushing frost off of his legs.

 

“Leonard, please,” Ray says calmly.

 

“Doesn’t this scare you?” Leonard asks, voice ragged. “Because it sure as hell scares me.”

 

Ray’s eye soften, and he takes a tentative step forward.

 

“What scares me is you losing yourself because you refuse to harness your powers,” Ray says softly. “Trying to push them away, ignoring them, that’s only going to make this worse.” Ray keeps moving slowly towards Leonard, ice crunching under his feet, until he’s standing right in front of him.

 

“I don’t want you to lose your humanity because you’re too scared to face this,” Ray reaches out, trying to grab one of Leonard’s hands, but Leonard jerks backwards.

 

“Don’t” he snaps. “You don’t know what’ll happen.”

 

“Neither do you,” Ray counters.

 

“I’m barely human anymore, Raymond,” Leonard says, ignoring Ray’s statement. He lifts a hand and lets the cold dance around his fingers.

 

“That’s not true,” Ray says. He holds out his hand, signaling Leonard to take it.

 

Leonard glances between Ray’s face and his hand, until his eyes land right on Ray’s. Leonard doesn’t think he’ll ever get used to Ray looking at him like that, eyes filled with trust and hope. It’s ridiculous and Leonard will never admit this out loud, but the warmth radiating from Ray’s eyes might just be enough to melt Leonard’s frozen soul.

 

Leonard wiggles his fingers and the glow surrounding his hand dims. He shuts his eyes, holds his breath, and slides his palm over Ray’s. He feels Ray’s fingers curl around his, and Ray grabs hold of Leonard’s other hand. With his eyes still closed, Leonard focuses on Ray’s soft, warm fingers massaging his hands, and suddenly he’s being tugged forward.

 

He stumbles and lands against Ray’s chest, hands pressed between them, still locked with Ray’s.

 

“See?” Ray says. “Nothing happened.”

 

Leonard’s eyes lose their edge, and Ray’s never seen them so soft and round before. He feels bold, a rush bubbling through his chest, and he bring Leonard’s hands up to his face. He presses his lips to Leonard’s knuckles, and he can feel Leonard tense for a moment before he’s sagging forward, resting his head on Ray’s shoulder.

 

“Will you let me help you?” Ray asks, soft and gentle.

 

Leonard waits a few moments before he nods, rustling the fabric of Ray’s shirt.

 

They stay like that, leaning against each other, and in the cold half frozen cargo bay, Leonard has never felt warmer.

**Author's Note:**

> find me @ [bottomraypalmer](http://bottomraypalmer.tumblr.com/)


End file.
